Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UN, United States

You are here:HomeStatements2013
Keynote Address by HRH Willem-Alexander, the Prince of Orange, the Netherlands, Chair of UNSGAB

Keynote Address by HRH Willem-Alexander, the Prince of Orange, the Netherlands, Chair of UNSGAB

Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters

I am delighted to share the podium with His Imperial Highness, the Crown
Prince of Japan. As our Honorary President, you have brought your keen interest
of water issues to our discussions. Our ties to Japan are strong and I applaud
your country’s long-standing commitment to improving water management around the
globe.

It is also a pleasure to be with Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon. We know that
the demands on your time and attention are endless. Hosting this Session and
your presence here today show your dedication to minimizing the pain, loss and
suffering caused by water related disasters.

I am equally happy to share the podium with my fellow Board member, Dr. Han
Seung-soo. Two years ago, we were graciously hosted in Seoul and we learned
about Dr. Han’s work spearheading ambitious river restoration projects to build
Korea’s resilience in the face of potential water-related disasters. Dr. Han,
you combine an international commitment with a real understanding of challenges
on the ground, and you are part of both the water community and the disaster
community, making you an excellent advocate in our efforts to reduce the impact
caused by water-related disasters.

Many in this room have lived through water-related disasters. We will hear
from some of you who lived through the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
just two years ago. We will also learn about the flooding in Thailand,which
took lives and ruined infrastructure. And I’m sure all of us remember the South
East Asia Tsunami which crashed onto the shores of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri
Lanka, India, Maledives, Seychelles, even as far as eastern Africa in 2004. We
have Indonesian representatives here who will tell us about rebuilding efforts.

Every water-related disaster—whether too much water like a tsunami or a flood
or a typhoon or too little like a drought—is harrowing. Imagine torrents of
water entering your home, turning your entire life upside down in their wake.
Families shattered and your life’s work washed away in a matter of minutes. A
drought, though less sudden, can be just as devastating. People are driven to
the brink of sanity by droughts that never seem to end. Right now, the United
States is experiencing one of the worst droughts in history. Fields are
parched, businesses are shutting down and food prices are rising. And this is
in a country that benefits from sophisticated irrigation schemes to stave off
the worst effects of the drought. Today, in most of Africa and much of the
developing world, farmers continue to rely on rainfed agriculture making them
vulnerable to our fickle climate.

Is it possible to end all of the suffering inflicted by water-related
disasters? Of course not. Indeed, with climate change finding its expression
in the water cycle, it is a certainty that we will see even more water-related
disasters in the coming years. An overall warming trend world-wide and more
dramatic climatic shifts means stronger storms, longer droughts and more coastal
flooding. It is crucial, however, that we apply the precautionary principle in
our approach to disasters. It is a social responsibility to try to reduce the
public’s exposure to harm.

When UNSGAB was drafting the Hashimoto Action Plan in 2006 to help achieve
the water and sanitation Millennium Development Goal targets, it was clear to us
that one water-related disaster can wash away in a moment years of progress,
compromising communities’ ability to reach their development objectives. So we
included in that first Hashimoto Action Plan the urgent need to reduce the
suffering caused by water-related disasters, both natural and manmade. We hoped
to unify political will around global actions.

That is still clear today and our meeting continues that effort. We are here
to share stories, learn from our experiences and build momentum and galvanize
political commitment for a stronger global response to water-related disasters.

The first Hashimoto Action Plan also called for the High-Level Expert Panel
on Water and Disaster, a group chaired by Dr. Han Seung-Soo. I encourage all of
you to revisit its recommendations formulated in 2009 – they are practical,
to-the-point and still highly relevant. For example, they stress that disaster
risk reduction must be integral to climate change adaption strategies.
Adapting to climate change is about building resiliency. Resilient ecosystems,
economic and social systems can recover more quickly and sustainably from
external shocks.

Just last year in Rio, countries gathered twenty years after the historic
Earth Summit to recommit to a sustainable future. The Future We Want outcome
dedicates four paragraphs to disaster risk reduction. They stress the
interlinkages among disaster risk reduction and long term development planning
along with the importance of early warning systems. Countries are also called
on to reaffirm their commitment to the Hyogo Framework for Action – implementing
this framework would build exactly the resiliency we need. Despite being close
to 12 years old, the Hyogo Framework remains clearly relevant today – I urge the
international community to keep this Framework at the center resiliency building
efforts.

When a water-related disaster strikes, people need care urgently. Perhaps
their most basic need is for clean water and sanitary toilets for we know how
quickly diseases like cholera and diarrhea can spread without proper sanitation
and hygiene. That is why a central objective of the Hashimoto Action Plan was
the quick provision of clean water and sanitation after water-related disasters
through coordinated responses from national and international organizations.
While we can not prevent water-related disasters, we can try to make sure those
recovering from them at least have decent toilets and clean water.

The continued need in so many parts of the world for clean water and
sanitation is an acute development challenge. A staggering 2.5 billion continue
to lack proper sanitation. Of all the MDGs, the Sanitation MDG target lags
furthest behind. For safe drinking water the official numbers are less shocking:
783 million living each day without ready access to clean drinking water. But
we know that the number is a lot higher since so far we monitor only access to
improved sources not water quality.

I have worked for many years to draw attention to these fundamental
challenges. For the last seven years as Chair of Mr. Ban Ki Moon’s Advisory
Board on Water and Sanitation.

Secretary-General, it has been an honor to support you and the UN Family.
Though my personal mandate is coming to an end, the Board remains vital and in
fact we have just prepared Hashimoto Action Plan III which will guide the
Board’s work through 2015.

Members will continue to make an urgent push for sanitation with the
Sanitation Drive to 2015, a campaign initiated by UNSGAB to continue the spirit
and vitality of the International Year of Sanitation in 2008. And while we make
many global commitments, without sustainable financing arrangements our lofty
goals will not be met. This is why a major component of the Board’s efforts
through 2015 will be working with countries on innovative financing strategies
for water, sanitation and wastewater services. The water-food-energy nexus is
also a priority. And of course, building the global commitment and political
will for disaster risk reduction is a central part of the renewed Action Plan.

Your Imperial Highness, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, friends

That is why our next action plan includes working with partners to make the
case for strong water and sanitation targets in the post 2015 development
framework. First, we need objectives and strategies to achieve universal
access to sanitation and to drinking water that is really safe. It is time to
make the human right to sanitation and drinking water a reality. Second, to
avoid contaminating our scare water resources, and given that only a fraction of
wastewater is treated in many countries, we need global objectives to increase
wastewater management and re-use as well as pollution prevention. Thirdly, to
ensure we have a reliable supply of clean water in the pipes, we must address
the bigger picture by improving integrated water resources management and
water-use efficiency.

We are meeting in a building that was impacted not very long ago by a
water-related disaster. Hurricane Sandy caused the East River to rise and flood
the United Nations Headquarters. The entire complex was closed for a whole
week. Major sections of the Big Apple – one of the most prosperous and vibrant
cities in the world – were brought to a halt. For days, the lower part of the
island was dark and Manhattanites experienced what is like to live without
running water. I have heard first-hand from residents in high- rises who needed
to lug water up 20 or 30 flights of stairs. Having to physically fetch and carry
water for a families needs, even for a few days, was a life changing
experience. This physically exhausting job continues to be a daily task for
millions of women and children world-wide.

Others were not so lucky. The Jersey shore, Staten Island, Red Hook, Breezy
Point and the Rockaways were devastated and I understand many of you were able
to visit these communities early this week. New York and New Jersey are slowly
rebuilding and this is in one of the richest countries in the world. When a
water-related disaster hits a vulnerable city or community, it can take decades
to rebuild. Solidarity among nations, to learn, anticipate and prepare for
disaster is the only rational and moral way forward. That is why we are here
today. I thank you for participating and I look forward to our deliberations.